Minor League Update

Games of September 5

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Jaye Chapman, RHP, Cubs: ND, 1.0 IP, 0 H, 2 K. Three strikeouts and zero hits allowed through his first two major-league innings; was the only Cubs pitcher to escape without allowing a base runner in Chicago’s 9-1 loss to Washington.

Adam Eaton, CF, Diamondbacks: 2-for-5. Starts his major-league career off with back-to-back two-hit games; hitting .364 through his first 11 AB.

Nathan Eovaldi, RHP, Marlins: L (4-11), 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 1 out="hideTip()">HR. His brief career with the Marlins has been a rollercoaster of sorts: two starts of three or fewer innings and six runs allowed; four games of at least five innings and one or zero runs allowed. Has a 3.98 ERA since August 8.

Bryce Harper, CF/RF, Nationals: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 2 BB. Batting .400 with five home runs since August 29; his second two-home run game during that time.

Matt Moore, LHP, Rays: L (10-9), 6.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 HR. Struck out six Yankee batters through the first three innings before the wheels came off in the fourth; six earned runs are the most he’s allowed since an eight-run outing against Oakland on May 6.

Wily Peralta, RHP, Brewers:W (1-0), 6.0 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K. Earns his first major-league win in the first start of his career; only prior major-league experience was a single inning of relief on April 22; was 7-11, 4.66 ERA, 143-78 K-BB at Triple-A Nashville.

Jonathon Berti, 2B, Blue Jays (Advanced Class-A Dunedin): 3-for-3. Collected three of Dunedin’s five hits in their 3-0 loss to Lakeland in the Florida State League playoffs. Berti owns a career .259/.364/.345 line in 170 games, but struggled at the plate (.190/.301/.287) after a mid-season promotion from Lansing.

Clayton Blackburn, RHP, Giants (Advanced Class-A San Jose): W (1-0), 7.0 IP, 3 H, R, BB, 9 K, 1 HR. Promoted from Low-A Augusta to augment San Jose’s postseason run, Blackburn is a big right-hander with a low-90s sinker that grades out as plus due to its excellent movement and Blackburn’s command of it. The Giants’ 16th-round pick out of an Oklahoma high school in 2011, Blackburn went 8-4 with a 2.54 ERA and 143-18 K-BB in 131.1 IP at Augusta.

Leandro Castro, RF, Phillies (Double-A Reading): 2-for-3, R, 2B, HR. Sneaky pop with on-base skills that make J.P. Arencibia look like a Greek god; wrapped up his third-consecutive year of hitting exactly 10 home runs during the regular season; could emerge as a lefty-hitting fourth outfield option next year, though he lacks the raw power to profile in a corner or the requisite speed to patrol center field regularly.

Larry Greene, LF, Phillies (Short-season A Williamsport): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, K. Finishes the year with an eight-game hit streak during which he posted a .379/.486/.552 slash line with a 7-6 K-BB.

Courtney Hawkins, LF, White Sox (Advanced Class-A Winston-Salem): 1-for-4, HR (1). Chicago’s first-round pick last June, Hawkins has raced through the lower minors, hitting .284/.324/.480 across three levels during the regular season; his home run last night (ninth overall) accounted for the Dash’s only run in Winston-Salem’s 4-1 loss to Myrtle Beach in the Carolina League playoffs.

Luis Heredia, RHP, Pirates (Short-season A State College): W (4-2), 5.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K. Set a season-high with five strikeouts in five innings (the tenth time in 14 starts he’s gone exactly five frames); just turned 18 and has been handled carefully in two pro seasons, throwing fewer than 100 innings combined.

Wil Myers, CF, Royals (Triple-A Omaha): 2-for-2, 2 R, 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB. Hit 37 home runs across two levels during the regular season to earn Minor League Player of the Year accolades from Baseball America; hit .314/.387/.600 with a 140-61 K-BB overall.

Joe Panik, SS, Giants (Advanced Class-A San Jose): 2-for-4, R. After a cold start, Panik hit .337 during the second half, a hot streak that has continued into the postseason. San Francisco’s first-round pick out of St. John’s in 2011, Panik is a good-bat middle infielder who may profile better at second base due to ordinary range and an underwhelming–albeit accurate–arm.

Leandro Castro: How does a guy who hits ten homers a year in the minors and with poor on-base skills rate as a decent fourth outfielder option (unless he provides solid defence and strong base-running/stealing skills)?

A also appreciate the additions of prospects who've reached the majors, but don't think guys like Matt Moore and Addison Reed, who've been in MLB all year, belong here. It's much more appropriate for recent call-ups like Eaton, Jeffers, Machado, Miller, Peralta.